Microsoft's most loyal users ask for Surface trade-in program

Gregg Keizer |
Sept. 26, 2013

One of the top requests in a Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' with the Surface team was for a tablet buyback deal to fund purchases of newest device

Microsoft may have planted the idea in customers' minds: In the last weeks, the Redmond, Wash. company has promoted a used iPad trade-in deal and a broader buyback program that pays for smartphones and tablets running Android, Apple's iPhones and iPads, and BlackBerry smartphones. Neither program, however, accepts used Surface tablets.

The calls for a buyback or trade-in were met with scorn by some during the AMA, and with advice to sell their used Surface hardware on the open market.

"Why would they have a trade in program? Its [sic] technology, it moves on," said "Daylife321" in one example. "Try Craigslist or eBay, it takes 5 minutes to make an Ad and youll [sic] get more $$ for it."

Those critics were in turn dismissed. "They seem to mimic anything else Apple does, completely ignoring the fact that Microsoft doesn't have an established user base yet that enables them to charge premium prices and fees," one AMA participant countered. "So why not copy Apple in this case? Apple pays you less than eBay, but it is no hassle and in exchange for making it easy, Apple gets to profit on their own refurbs."

Apple does have a trade-in program, which it expanded this summer to include in-store iPhone buybacks for credit that can be applied to new purchases.

The electronics "re-commerce" business has exploded in the last several years as consumers and businesses have realized their devices hold value. Companies like Gazelle and NextWorth specialize in buying used smartphones and tablets, especially the former, then reselling them on eBay or in bulk to distributors in developing countries where demand is high but incomes are low.

NextWorth, for example, currently offers $337.67 for a 64GB or 128GB Surface Pro tablet, and $186.68 for a 32GB Surface RT. Meanwhile, Gazelle pays $270 for a 64GB Surface Pro, $399 for a 128GB Surface Pro, and $126 for a 32GB Surface RT.

Microsoft kicked off pre-orders of the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets on Tuesday, with prices starting at $449 for the former and $899 for the latter.